Team 1 Plastics, a plastic injection molding company for the transportation industry, believes that building an exceptional company is the result of building exceptional teams with exceptional people.  The company looks for Team Members who are honest, demonstrate a high level of integrity, have an eagerness to learn, contribute to a safe work environment, and value each person in a diverse work force.  Today Team 1 Plastics is proud to introduce two of their newest Team Members: Jake Bullen and Tasha Pritchard.

JAKE BULLEN

Earlier this Spring, Jake attended a job fair at Ferris State University, where he was in his final year of their Plastics Engineering Technology program.  While at the job fair, he submitted his resume at a booth for Team 1 Plastics.  It did not take long for Jake to receive a call, requesting he interview for Team 1’s open Process Engineer position.  Only a couple of weeks after receiving his bachelor’s degree with Cum Laude honors in Plastics Engineering Technology, Jake was offered the position; proud to have landed a job so quickly after graduation.  While studying at Ferris, Jake gained invaluable experience through two Engineering internships: spending his time working with Die Setters and supporting his Production Manager.  Engineering Manager Dave Seedorf describes how beneficial Jake has been to the company over the past three months.  “He is a team player for sure.  Jake joined Team 1 at the perfect time and has done an outstanding job helping to fill the gaps while another Team Member was out on leave.  At the same time, he was helping Production on and off as well.  He is detail oriented, a self-starter, and doesn’t wait around for direction: getting right down to business.  Jake has been a great addition to the Engineering team, and his help and dedication is greatly appreciated!”  As a Process Engineer, Jake’s work is all within the pre-production phase.  When Team 1 gets a new mold, his main responsibilities are in the creation of a new process for that mold.  When asked what he enjoys most about his position, Jake responded by saying “I really enjoy working on the Production floor.  I’ve always liked working with my hands.”

TASHA PRITCHARD

When offered the position as Customer Service Representative three weeks ago, Tasha “wasn’t really looking for a job.”  At the time, she was employed with a neighboring hospital and content with the position she held there.  Unaware that her resume was never removed from Indeed.com, she was contacted by Team 1 Plastics’ Human Resources Manager.  The position would require her to support both the Customer Service and Accounting Departments.  With 2.5 years of schooling in accounting, she knew this position would be a great fit.  After two interviews – one virtual and one in-person, she was accepted the position.  Although Tasha’s time at Team 1 has been short thus far, she shares, “I like it all.  It is hard to pick any favorite aspect of this job.  I enjoy interacting with the Team Member and everyone is so nice and helpful.”  From the start, she has felt welcomed by Team 1 and was pleasantly surprised to see the company has such personable owners, Craig Carrel and Gary Grigowski.  “I have worked since I was fifteen and this place is just different.  One of my first days, Craig and Gary both took the time out of their busy days to find me, introduce themselves, and address me by name.  It really makes me feel like I am not just a number, and they really care about their people.”  Currently, Tasha is training to take over the responsibilities of Administrative Support Technician Paige Popenhagen.  Paige will be leaving Team 1 at the end of this month and will be spending her last few weeks with the company training Tasha, to ensure she is comfortable with the position before leaving.